Retina and Optic Tectum in Amphibians: A Mathematical Model and Simulation Studies

Heiden, Uwe an der; Roth, Gerhard

doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-0897-1_7

Cited by 9 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…The even smaller number of tectal laminae of mammals were related to the possible nocturnal origins of mammals characterized by a decreased importance of visual stimuli and an increased reliance on audition and olfaction (Northcutt, ). Vision also plays a dominant role in prey‐capture behavior in frogs and is so specialized that frogs can see the object in movement from far away, in contrast to salamanders (An der Heiden & Roth, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variation in brain anatomy in frogs and its possible bearing on their locomotor ecology

Manzano

Herrel²,

Fabre³

et al. 2017

Journal of Anatomy

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Despite the long-standing interest in the evolution of the brain, relatively little is known about variation in brain anatomy in frogs. Yet, frogs are ecologically diverse and, as such, variation in brain anatomy linked to differences in lifestyle or locomotor behavior can be expected. Here we present a comparative morphological study focusing on the macro- and micro-anatomy of the six regions of the brain and its choroid plexus: the olfactory bulbs, the telencephalon, the diencephalon, the mesencephalon, the rhombencephalon, and the cerebellum. We also report on the comparative anatomy of the plexus brachialis responsible for the innervation of the forelimbs. It is commonly thought that amphibians have a simplified brain organization, associated with their supposedly limited behavioral complexity and reduced motor skills. We compare frogs with different ecologies that also use their limbs in different contexts and for other functions. Our results show that brain morphology is more complex and more variable than typically assumed. Moreover, variation in brain morphology among species appears related to locomotor behavior as suggested by our quantitative analyses. Thus we propose that brain morphology may be related to the locomotor mode, at least in the frogs included in our analysis.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%